Despite Trump’s Exec Order, why Piyush Goyal says Russian oil and India-US deal are ‘different issues’ | Explained
A narrative rift appears to have opened up on multiple fronts in New Delhi and Washington in the one week since President Donald Trump announced a trade deal and rollback of tariffs, which was later confirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal has since skirted questions centred on Russian oil: Will India stop buying it, as Trump claimed, or continue nonetheless?
While the Trump administration asserts a total cessation of Russian oil imports was a prerequisite for the deal, New Delhi’s lead negotiator, Piyush Goyal, has so far remained diplomatic about it, only saying India can “diversify” its energy-sourcing destinations.
